ISBN Numbers

ISBN Numbers
Information Awareness Report
Assignment#4

While setting up my account for Library Thing, I became aware that I needed to learn more about ISBN numbers. Many of my older gardening books lack this code, and I was not able to locate them on the web because they are out of print. I wanted to find out when ISBN numbers first came into existence and why. I went online and searched Google using the terms "ISBN numbers" and "usage." I went to Wikipedia first to read a general overview. I found some of what I was searching for in the article "International Standard Book Number."

Apparently, a 10-digit code was created in 1970 for use by booksellers and publishers to keep track of inventory. It was not until 2007 that a 13-digit number was used. Prior to 1970, a 9-digit SBN number was used. At eHow.com, I learned that the first three numbers are always 978, but why? I will have to research this more. The 0 or 1 registration code designates English speaking countries. The publisher prefix number is assigned by the national ISBN agency and the publisher chooses the item title code number. Quite a complex formula is used to assign the last digist (called the check number) of the ISBN number.

The information I gleaned from Wikipedia was a good start, but I wanted to know more about the history behind the use. I went to ISBN.org because I thought I would find more factual information regarding these numbers. The site seemed very official, but it was more for publishers wanting to obtain ISBN numbers.

Next, I went to suite101.com which published an article by Simone Preuss entitled "What is the International Standard Book Number? A Complete Guide to Understanding the ISBN." Even though there was a lot of advertising at this site, it seemed valid because it was well written and reiterated much of the information in the Wikipedia article. I located another link at suite101.com titled "Early ISBN History" by Michael Jung. I did not feel that this article went into depth on the history. I still had unanswered questions.

I am still not able to share many of my older gardening books with other readers. How can I ensure that the information I own can be passed on to other gardeners? In order to keep older (pre-1964) printed gardening resources available to future generations, there is a need to have it digitized. Even with Library of Congress numbers in hand, many of my older gardening books are not available to add to my Library Thing list.

If I have a question, I like to continue to research it for hours until I feel satisfied. Many times, time is what determines how long I can research any given subject. I feel mostly satisfied with my results, but I still do not know why the 978 is used at the beginning of an ISBN number. I will need to leave that for another time because that information is not pertinent for my responsibilities for today. I need to conduct more research to discover how to digitize information and find out if my Library of Congress numbers on my gardening books are still valid.

I used the following links for my research:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number

http://www.ehow.com/about_5052692_isbn-used.html

http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp

http://bookpublishing.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_an_isbn

http://worldliteratures.suite101.com/article.cfm/early-isbn-history